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Houston – a brief overview

Houston is a Texan city through and through, a super-sized, leather-booted, oil-financed metropolis with a swagger in its stride. Rodeos and barbecues? You’re in the right place. It might not be the most beautiful city in the USA, but it’s certainly one of the largest (only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are bigger) and its size translates into everything from a buzzing arts scene to a hard-hitting nightlife.

Expect to encounter a heady dose of Southern hospitality, a full-to-bursting events calendar and a genuinely absorbing history, stretching from the Civil War to the Space Race.

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston

One of the country’s largest museums, with excellent collections of art from all corners of the globe. The complex is made up of two main gallery buildings and a sculpture garden, as well as a movie theatre.

Menil Collection

Exhibiting the private art collection of the gallery’s founders, John and Dominique de Menil, this attraction is free to enter and displays an impressive array of world-class works – from surrealist paintings to decorative sculptures.

Holocaust Museum Houston

Serving the memory of the 6 million who died in the Holocaust, the varied exhibits at this museum also have a broader remit of combating prejudice in society – among the items on show is a railcar of the type used by the Germans during WWII.

Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark

Spectacular Skatepark, opened in 2008 in the Buffalo Bayou Park. Provides Halfpipes, Ramps and Bowls for Starters and Experts in ca. 3000 squaremetres.

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Country Information

Country overview

From its vast plains, snow-covered mountains, deep forests and strange rock formations, to soaring skyscrapers and a thunderous cultural scene, the USA is a collage of extremes. Nothing can prepare you for your first glimpse of Manhattan’s unforgettable skyline, your first ride in a yellow cab, the ubiquitous hamburger joints, yawning expanses of prairie, the sweet strains of New Orleans jazz, or the neon-lit excesses of Las Vegas.

Marvel at the thunderous spectacle of Niagara Falls in northern New York, or seek an antidote to urban chaos amidst the flat farmland of the Midwest. Then there are the black hills of South Dakota, the dramatic mountain and ocean landscape of California’s Pacific Coast Highway and the world-famous Grand Canyon.

Geography

Covering a large part of the North American continent, the USA shares borders with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The country has coasts on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The State of Alaska, in the northwest corner of the US, is not part of the continental US; it is separated from the rest of the USA by Canada. Similarly, Hawaii is not part of the “lower 48” states; it lies in the central Pacific Ocean.

The country’s dependent territories are offshore and have distinct geographies of their own; the majority are islands.

The third-largest country in the world (after the Russian Federation and Canada), the USA has an enormous diversity of geographical features, including mountains, plains, and coastal zones. Though there are many cities that are densely populated with more manmade features than natural ones, there are also vast rural areas that are far more sparsely populated. The climate ranges from subtropical to arctic, with a corresponding breadth of flora and fauna.

General knowledge

Key facts

Population: 319 millions (estimate 2018)

Capital: Washington, DC.

Language

English, with significant Spanish-speaking minorities.

Currency

US Dollar (USD; symbol $) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of $100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1, though the $2 bill is rare and is not in high circulation. Coins are in denominations of $1, and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.

Electricity

120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs have two flat pins with or without a third round grounding pin.

Public holidays

Below are listed public holidays for the January 2019 – December 2020 period.

Note: States can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays.

2 Airports in Houston

On the road in the lone star state

The great journey: Texas

City life and the Wild West exist side by side in Texas. And soon the southern U.S. state will have a Formula 1 racetrack, too. Traveling through Texas, we encounter artists, free spirits, an acrobatic cowboy, an astronaut – and a highway to the sky.

Lufthansa tip

Lufthansa offers a daily nonstop service from Frankfurt to Houston lufthansa.com. Use the mileage calculator in the Miles & More app now and find out how many award and status miles have been credited to you for your flight. Download now on miles-and-more.com/app.

Day 1 – Houston: Space for art

Houston’s greatest treasure is not something you see at first glance. Dense traffic rumbles along the four-lane highway, past the signs announcing the same old chains of stores and snack bars. In the center of the fourth-largest city in the United States, skyscrapers tower like exclamation points into the blue expanse above. Inside them, the air conditioning is on full power. So far, so American. But this is a city with more to offer – art, for example, in the museum district with its Menil Collection and Isabella Street galleries. This city has an excellent network of artists and collectors, and studio spaces here are cheap.

“Houston has always had a vibrant creative scene,” says artist Thédra Cullar-Ledford, 42. “It grew rich on oil, and with the money came art, as the oil barons’ wives needed something to occupy them.”

She works on the second floor of her house in the north of the city. Two cats play tag around the studio, brushes and paints cover the table, and there’s a stack of dolls in large plastic boxes. These are her models. She is just completing a commission: a picture of a doll in a tutu. Cullar-Ledford was raised close to the Mexican border by her art teacher parents, and she picked up painting quite naturally as a child. Later, she studied art, first in California, then in Oxford, England. “Painting really is the only thing I can do,” she says.

When Cullar-Ledford paints a picture, she tells a story – of beauty, of friendship, or of identity. Seven years ago, she moved to Houston with her husband and two sons. They have four studio containers in their garden that they rent to artists and plan to build another four to make more space for art in Houston.

Day 2 – Houston to Austin: Soundtrack of a city

The further we get from Houston, the narrower the highway becomes as we drive west, past brush and pastureland, cattle herds and oil pumps, until the Austin skyline comes into view on the horizon. Austin, the university city and seat of government on the Colorado River, is home to 50,000 students. Like the city’s other 740,000 citizens, they evidently enjoy a night out because Austin has over 200 music bars, clubs and concert halls that play a wide range of music from blues, rock and indie to the biggest local sound, Texas country and western swing.

“The city made it easy for me,” say Tje Austin, 29. He sports an Afro and a broad smile, and his music sounds like sunshine, youth and rumpled beds. Seven years ago, while studying computer science at the University of Texas, Austin bought himself a guitar and began writing songs. Three people heard his first public performance, then his audiences and the clubs he played grew bigger.

Last year, he made it into the final round of the talent show “The Voice” and sang in front Christina Aguilera. “The show really did me good,” he says. Good teachers, new fans, a glimpse behind the scenes. But being in the spotlight hasn’t turned his head: “I know exactly where I stand.” Austin is currently working on his third album. Does he have a dream? Yes, to keep making music and singing.

In the evening, the Bordertown Bootleggers play western swing to around three dozen women and men at the Rattle Inn. A slow number prompts a tall man and his partner to take to the dance floor and for a brief spell, they appear to forget everything around them.

Day 3 – Austin to Bandera: Formula 1 meets Wild West

“We wanted to give the drivers a chance to make mistakes,” says engineer Oliver Liedgens, 38, “although our motto, naturally, is safety first.” Liedgens is standing on a green hill southeast of Austin, pointing down at a left bend unspectacularly called “T1.” The first of three layers of asphalt has just been laid down. Liedgens oversaw the Circuit of the Americas racetrack project. His employer, the firm Tike based in Aachen, Germany, also designed the Formula 1 tracks in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. Great expectations were riding on the new course – 5.5 kilometers, 20 bends, seats for 120,000 spectators. The U.S. Grand Prix took place here November 16 -18, 2012, and it was the first time since 2007 that the Formula 1 circus had come to the U.S. “We made the course as spectacular as possible and at many points created a second race line so that drivers can overtake,” Liedgens explains. There’s still plenty to be done and some 700 people are currently hard at it on the vast building site. Incidentally, the winners in 2012 were Lewis Hamilton for McLaren-Mercedes in front of Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault), who returned to win the Grand Prix here in 2013.

We continue southwest and the country becomes hillier. Signposts point the way to local ranches. Many owners rent rooms to guests, who come to experience a couple of days’ Wild West. On the Twin Elm Guest Ranch near the small town of Bandera, Kevin Fitzpatrick, 54, is doing his stuff for a group of children and adults. Standing on his horse’s back, he sends his lasso skimming through the air, dancing over his shoulder, his hat, his arm, as though guided by remote control; you could easily picture him using his lasso to light a cigarette. Sandy-haired Fitzpatrick is a trick roper and four years ago earned himself the title of Lasso World Champion.

He has appeared on TV on the Jay Leno talk show and at the Super Bowl American football championship. Some days, he gives four or even five shows. When he’s not on the road, Fitzpatrick practises daily at his ranch in Bandera. “It’s like dancing,” he says, “everyone has their own style.”

Fitzpatrick does his show at the Dixie Dude Ranch, too, which was started in 1906. The present owner, stocky Clay Colony, 54, still keeps Longhorn cattle, horses and goats, but he also rents 21 rooms and cabins to visitors. “We want to give them a taste of our culture,” he explains. Guests can go riding twice a day, and in the evening, gather around the campfire, listen to country music and dance. Before Colony took over the ranch from his grandmother, he was vice-president of an oil company in San Antonio. “But now I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but here in the peace and quiet of the countryside,” he says. The locals, many of them musicians, artists and free spirits, are laid back and helpful, but also very traditional in their values. “We are hippies,” says Colony, “but we are also cowboys.” When he sits out on his veranda at night, gazing up at the stars, he knows he got it right.

Day 4 – Bandera via New Braunfels to Corpus Christi: German traditions

Big, fat raindrops hammer against the windshield and in the distance, there’s the rumble of thunder, but that’s good news in Texas; the land needs rain. Over the past few years, drought has sent feed prices skyrocketing, forcing many ranchers to sell their herds. This morning, the sky clears quickly. We arrive in New Braunfels in the German Belt, a settlement founded by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels in 1845. The German heritage of this town of 56,000 souls is still in evidence everywhere you look – and especially so in early November, when the city celebrates its ten-day sausage festival, the Wurstfest. That’s when The Sauerkrauts play German folk music, “Gone with the Wurst” is performed on stage, and 160,000 visitors tuck into potato pancakes and 25 tons of sausages. No record is kept of the quantity of beer consumed.

As the landscape levels out, we drive past cornfields on both sides of the road. In the marina of Aransas Pass on the Gulf of Mexico, there’s a good chance of meeting Billie Kocian, 51. She takes her motorboat out into the shallow, fish-rich waters of the bay and shows tourists how to catch redfish and sea trout. “I can smell them,” says the tanned blonde, “it’s like hunting.” Kocian used to manage a supermarket in Houston. Lots of stress, lots of sadness, a dark time; she started drinking. But then she met her present husband, moved to the coast and learned to fish. “I love it,” says Kocian, “it saved my life.” Every time she catches a fish, she sends a prayer of thanks heavenward that everything turned out so well.

Day 5 : Corpus Christi to Houston: Reaching for the stars

Back in Houston again. Visitors stand in line outside the Space Center theme park next door to the NASA Mission Control Center. The exhibits inside the park, designed by Disney’s illusionists, are space shuttles, space suits and lunar modules, as well as colorful rockets on which children can play to heroic background music. “This has nothing to do with what we actually did,” says Donald Peterson, 78, shaking his head. The former natural scientist, Air Force pilot and astronaut is standing in the space shuttle cockpit. He’s right at home in here, and that’s no surprise because in 1983 he traveled on the Challenger’s maiden flight into space. The four crew members’ days were minutely planned: seven hours of sleep and then scientific experiments with little time left for breaks. Just once, when they were flying over Hawaii at 18,000 miles per hour, Peterson took a couple of minutes to admire the view.

He and a fellow astronaut, Story Musgrave, made the first space walk from a space shuttle, working for over four hours outside. Even when his space suit developed a leak for 25 seconds – no one knew why – Peterson did not allow himself to become distracted. Back on board, the astronauts rewarded themselves with a dish of strawberries. Did the flight change them? “Not in a spiritual sense,” replies the likeable retiree, “but you learn to trust the people you work with.” He has mixed feelings about NASA’s plans to settle Mars. Too many unsolved problems – the radiation, the long flight. And anyway, it’s pretty good down here on Earth.

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Nightlife in Houston

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H-Town knows all about letting its hair down, whether you’re heading to the bars and saloons of the Downtown district or the arty hangouts of the Montrose neighbourhood.

Absinthe Brasserie

609 Richmond Avenue 77006 Houston USA Show on map

Specialising in the notorious wormwood-based drink beloved by 19th-century artists and writers.

Calendar of events

Art Car Parade

First held in 1988 with just a handful of vehicles and a few bemused onlookers, the annual Art Car Parade is now the biggest event of its kind in the world. Exhibits range from huge, high-spec hot rods to fighter jets manned by drivers in fancy dress. Costumed dancers and musicians join the parade on foot as do people on bikes, roller skates and just about every other means of transport you can think of.

WorldFest Independent Film Festival

Billed as the oldest independent film and video festival in the world, the annual Worldfest in Houston dates back to 1961 and has been entertaining film fans, students and industry experts for decades. Each year the festival showcases American and international independent feature films with a spotlight on an individual country and its films.

Houston LGBT Pride

One of the party highlights of the year for the city, the celebration takes place in the Montrose neighbourhood with live music, the Divas of Diversity comedy show, exhibitions, artists, performers, singing competitions and multiple stages. The week-long celebrations culminate in the parade which snakes along Westheimer in the evening.

Freedom Over Texas

This is one of the city’s signature events. The city celebrates American Independence Day with live entertainment and the largest land-based fireworks display in the USA. A number of stages keep toes tapping during the day featuring bands playing country, zydeco, jazz, pop and Latin music. In addition there is a Freedom Market, beer garden and display of military vehicles. But the event that everybody has come for is when the sky over Houston explodes with fireworks.

Houston Shakespeare Festival

Each summer the Houston Shakespeare Festival performs a season of Shakespeare plays in the Miller Outdoor Theatre bringing the bard to the residents of Houston, free of charge. Take a picnic, blanket and enjoy some high quality entertainment. There are now seats available under a canopy and tickets for this covered area are free but are given out at the box office in person on the day of the performance between 1030 and 1300.

Houston Ultimate Women's Expo

Houston Ultimate Women’s Expo offers two all-inclusive days of fun, inspiration, free goodies, pampering, shopping and celebrity speakers, including actress NeNe Leakes. There will be complimentary haircuts and makeovers, cooking classes, jewelry and candle making, “do-it-herself” home improvement workshops, and much more. Grab your best girlfriends and get inspired!

All information subject to change. Please check the dates on the relevant event organizer’s website.

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Hotels in Houston

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Given the sheer size of the Greater Houston area, visitors can find an almost overwhelming amount of accommodation

options. The city has plenty of luxurious properties to indulge in, but also has much at a lower price point too.

7 days forecast

Climate & best time to visit the United States of America

The United States has varied weather conditions, and the best time to visit depends both upon the location and the season. Spring (March, April, May) and autumn (September and October) are generally cooler, more comfortable times to visit. Summer months – June, July, and August – are generally hot regardless of the region, but winter temperatures (November-February) can vary substantially depending upon the part of the US you are visiting. The southern part of the country tends to be warmer in the winter than the north. The general climate of the continental US is temperate, but keep in mind that Hawaii is tropical and Alaska is arctic. Many of the country’s dependent territories, such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, are also tropical.

Summer is considered the peak tourist season throughout the country; other popular travel times are major American holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as Easter Week and the school holiday known as Spring Break. Certain destinations, such as New York, are perennial favourites and are busy year-round; even when the weather may not be pleasant, these destinations have particular attractions or experiences that always draw travellers. In some parts of the country, travel services may be limited during the low or off-season, largely due to weather conditions.

Phone calls & Internet

Telephone/Mobile Telephone

Dialing Code: +1

Telephone

Public telephones have become a rarity, but can still be found here and there. They take coins, telephone cards and credit cards. If you are planning to make regular use of public phones, it’s best to purchase a prepaid calling card from one of the many U.S. providers.

Mobile Telephone

Not all European cell phones work on the American network, since it requires a tri-band or quad-band device. Full network coverage is not always assured outside densely populated areas. Roaming charges are high here, so it is often cheaper to buy a SIM card from a U.S. provider. Low-cost prepaid SIM cards for making calls inside the country can be ordered online before you travel.

Internet

Free Internet access via Wi-Fi is possible in many busy tourist spots. When using unencrypted public Wi-Fi networks, it is not advisable to enter passwords, credit card details or banking credentials. We recommend using VPN app or security software to check Wi-Fi hotspots.

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Shopping in Houston

Key Areas

There’s a huge amount of choice in Houston, with stand-out areas including West Avenue (which attracts luxury retailers) and the more offbeat likes of Westheimer Curve and Historic Heights, both of which give the chance to browse for vintage fashions and unusual keepsakes.

Markets

Farmers’ markets are a common sight in Houston these days. The largest of the weekly set-ups is the Urban Harvest Market (3000 Richmond Avenue), which takes place on Saturdays and Sundays and sells meats, fruit, honey, eggs and more. The event also generally features live music and cooking demonstrations.

Shopping Centres

With around 400 stores and restaurants to choose from, The Galleria (5085 Westheimer Road) is the largest shopping centre in Texas – Macy’s, Ralph Lauren and Cartier are among the tenants. There’s even an ice rink. Elsewhere, Memorial City Mall (303 Memorial City Way) is another centre with an ample array of familiar brands.

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Traveller etiquette

Social Conventions

Americans are renowned for their openness and friendliness to visitors. The wide variety of national origins and the USA’s relatively short history has resulted in numerous cultural and traditional customs living alongside each other. In large cities, people of the same ethnic background often live within defined communities.

Shaking hands is the usual form of greeting in formal situations and in business meetings. As long as the fundamental rules of courtesy are observed, there need be no fear of offending anyone of any background.

Gifts are appreciated if one is invited to a private home.

As a rule, dress is casual. High-end restaurants, hotels and clubs may require more formal attire.

Smoking is increasingly unpopular in the US; it is essential to ask permission before lighting up. Smoking is not allowed on city transport and restricted or forbidden in public buildings in most states. There will be a posted notice where no smoking is requested. An increasing number of states (including California and New York) have banned smoking altogether in bars, restaurants and many public places.

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Health

Main emergency number: 911

Food & Drink

Food in the US is safe to eat, and the conditions under which food is prepared and served are regulated by city, state, and federal health and hygiene agencies. In many jurisdictions, it is mandatory for restaurants to have a certificate of health or hygiene, as well as the current grade they have been assigned, posted visibly.

Although America is famous for its fast food and obesity rates, the local and fresh food movement is very popular in many areas, especially cities, making it easy to eat healthy. A variety of options also makes it easy for people with special dietary needs to find food that suits them, whether their needs are due to health reasons or to religious requirements.

Tap water is considered safe to drink in the US and is often offered in restaurants before bottled water. Bottled water is available throughout the country, however, both in restaurants and shops, for those who prefer not to drink tap water.

Other Risks

The US is generally considered a safe destination for world visitors. Occasional outbreaks of disease, such as West Nile Virus (a mosquito-borne illness) and H1N1 have occurred in recent years, however. Frequent hand-washing and general practices of good hygiene are encouraged to protect oneself against all types of illness.

Another concern with regard to safety is the possibility of terrorist attacks such as the one that occurred on September 11, 2001. City, state, and federal agencies have stringent anti-terrorism practices in place, however, and direct threats are infrequent.

Contractual physician of Lufthansa

Please note that Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for the treatment nor will it bear the cost of any treatment.

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Visa & Immigration

IATA Travel Centre

The IATA Travel Centre delivers accurate passport, visa and health requirement information at a glance. It is a trusted, centralized source for the latest international travel requirements. The IATA Travel Centre is the most accurate source available because it is based on a comprehensive database used by virtually every airline, and information is gathered from official sources worldwide, such as immigration and police authorities.